Top Gun was full of homoerotic innuendos. It is a commonly argued theme in film classes. Hell, I have personally sat through a few days worth of analysis and critique or gender and sexuality in film. Every one is in awe of the splendor that is Brokeback Mountain, yet the issue of the sexual taboo is far from new.
Douglas Sirk‘s 1955 “All that Heaven Allows” speaks volumes of gender roles, socioeconomic stereotypes when the protagonist Cary, a wealthy widow, falls in love with the much younger nurseryman, Ron Kirby. We see firsthand the scorn of the upperclass suburban neighborhood when they finally find something to gossip about. If we fast-forward to 2002, Todd Haynes uses the general storyline of the Douglas Sirk classic, adding a racial twist in his film “Far From Heaven”
This is getting more to my point: these films (Brokeback Mountain, All that Heaven Allows, et cetera) tell of a socially disapproved romance. I am curious in not what stories were told (Romeo and Juliet, Helen and Paris); but, rather, what romances were not told.
Why is Romeo so vexed in the preliminary scenes of the Shakespeare drama? What had really happened between him and Rosaline? It may seem strange, but maybe Juliet was simply a rebound, caught in the overwhelming emotion of a jilted Romeo. Is it possible that the tragedy is a product of youth, displaced affection, and teenage rebellion?
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is what started the whole thought process. There are so many questionable romances overshadowed by the intercourse of Elizabeth Bennett and her Mr. Darcy. Caroline Bingley is the most curious of the book, in my opinion. The way I see it, Caroline just wants to fuck everyone. I read a bit more between the lines when she tells Darcy of his sister, “I do dote on her.” The sexual tension between Lizzy and Caroline is implied (though it is very suggested in the 2005 film), and Ms. Bingley’s intentions toward Darcy is obvious. Lastly, could it be that Darcy and Wickham had an inappropriate relationship as well (or Lizzy and Charlotte, for that matter)? That would provide another explain for the mutual hatred between Darcy and Wickham.
Okay, I know I have gone a bit overboard, but I have to return to my first example: Top Gun. While the love affair between Mavrick and Iceman (or any of those fighter pilot guys) may be a constantly argued, it does not necessarily mean the implications are in fact evidence. In other words, things aren’t exactly as they seem. It is easy to kill the time with these conspiracies, but I guess we will never know. (Though, I am very curious about the real intentions of Caroline Bingley.)
this is a product of my boredom/cynicism.
